India and World Cup Hockey Home > Sports > Indian Hockey > Hockey in India > India and World Cup Hockey India and World Cup Hockey Hockey World Cup better known as Hockey World Championship is a most popular international field hockey competition organized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). 2014 Hockey World Cup is hosted in Netherlands. Next world Cup will be in 2018, which will be in India. Subscribe to Free E-Magazine on Sports Hockey World Cup is an international field hockey competition organized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The tournament commenced in the year 1971. It is also known as the Hockey World Championships. Hockey World Cup is held every four years, bridging the four years between the Summer Olympics. Five countries have dominated the event's history. Pakistan is the most successful team, having won the tournament four times. The Netherlands have won three titles, and Germany and Australia have each won two titles. India won the tournament once.

There is also a Women's Hockey World Cup, which has been held since 1974 and was organized by the International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations (IFWHA) until 1981, when the governing bodies merged into the current International Hockey Federation in 1982. The 2010 Hockey World Cup was held in India from February 28 to March 13 at New Delhi 's Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Australia defeated Germany in 2-1 in the final, to win their second World Cup title. And in the 2014, the Hockey World Cup is hosted in Netherlands, with the name "Rabobank Hockey World Cup The Hague 2014". Next World Cup Hockey will be in India. History of Hockey World Cup The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan. He proposed his idea to the FIH under the name of Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. Their idea was approved on October 26, 1969, and adopted by the FIH Council at a meeting in Brussels on April 12, 1970.

The FIH decided that the inaugural World Cup would be held in October 1971, in Pakistan. However, political issues would prevent that first competition from being played in Pakistan. Pakistan and India had been at war with each other only six years earlier. When Pakistan invited India to compete in the tournament, a crisis arose. Pakistanis, led by cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar, protested against India's participation in the Hockey World Cup. Given the intense political climate between Pakistan and India, the FIH decided to move the tournament elsewhere. In March 1971, the FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain, which was considered a neutral and peaceful European site. The FIH has set no requirements or limitations on the size of the competition. The 1971 Cup included only ten nations, the smallest World Cup to date. The 1978 Cup featured fourteen nations. The 2002 Cup featured sixteen nations, the largest World Cup to date. The remaining 9 World Cups have featured 12 nations. The first three tournaments were held every two years.

The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous tournament. Since 1982, the tournament has been held every four years, halfway between the Summer Olympics field hockey competition. The 2006 Hockey World Cup was held at the Warsteiner Hockey Park, Germany from September 6 to September 17. Germany won for the second time, defeating Australia 4-3 in the final. India's Performance at the Hockey World Cup It has been 27 years since India won any medal at the World Cup. Only 3 Indians, Mohinder Singh, Rajinder Singh and Mukesh Kumar have scored more than 2 goals in a single World Cup match. Only 2 Indians, Ashok Kumar, son of legendary Dhyan Chand , and Dhanraj Pillai, have participated in 4 World Cup tournaments. In the first 3 World Cups, India lost only one match during the entire tournament. In the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, India won only one match during the entire tournament. India has won only one Hockey World Cup to date, in 1975.

A capacity crowd of 40,000 turned up at Merdeka Stadium for the semi-final between India and Malaysia. Malaysia led 2-1 well into the game. With only 8 minutes left in the game Ashok Kumar brought about the penalty corner for India and Aslam Sher Khan sent the ball in for the goal. It was 2-2 at the end of regulation. In the third minute of extra-time, V. J. Philips sprinted down the right flank and sent in a sizzling cross to Harcharan, who made no mistake. The game was over for the spirited Malaysians, and India took her place in the final to play with traditional rivals Pakistan. Pakistan had beaten India in the 1971 World Cup, but lost to India in the 1973 World Cup semi-final. For the first time since 1964, India had won a world title. It was only the 5th victory against Pakistan in 15 encounters. They had scored two goals against Pakistan for the first time. Millions of fans followed the dramatic final on All India Radio . Even Doordarshan showed the final later.

India's victory in the World Cup was celebrated with great joy with the entire team parading in different parts of the country. Indian Hokey obtained a whole generation of young fans by that one world title, and it remains one of Indian hockey's most memorable games. Hockey World Cup in 1982 The Hockey World Cup in 1982 was the fifth episode of the Men's Hockey World Cup Tournament. Hockey World Cup took place from December 12th 1981 to January 12th 1982 in Mumbai India. The twelve teams competed in it. The final match was played between Pakistan and West Germany. In that World Cup, Pakistan won the tournament. Hockey World Cup in 2010 World Cup Tournament of Hockey 2010 was the 12th edition of Hockey World Cup for men. It was held from 28 February to 13 March 2010 in New Delhi, India. In that tournament, Australia won the tournament after defeating Germany 2-1 in the final match. By that, they collected their second World Cup, after the title obtained in 1986.

Netherlands won the third place match by defeating England 4-3. In that World Cup Tournament, India ranked 8th. Hockey World Cup in 2014 World Cup Tournament of Hockey 2014 was the 13th edition of Hockey World Cup for men. This world cup is currently hosting in Netherlands. And the next World Cup will be on 2018. 2018 World Cup will be in India. (Last Updated on : 07/06/2014) Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? - Google Groups Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? Showing 1-107 of 107 messages I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are 1) Football (soccer) More than 100 nations play all these sports and all the 5 of them are regularly in the Summer Olympics. They all have their own World Cup and are played by both men and women. So essentially there are 10 different World Cup for men and women in these 5 sports. So which nation has won the most.

*Germany = West Germany = East Germany *Serbia = Yugoslavia = Serbia and Montenegro *Russia = USSR = Soviet Union FIFA World Cup Men (Soccer) -------------------------------------------- Argentina and Uruguay - 2 times Spain, France and England - 1 time FIFA World Cup Women (Soccer) ------------------------------------------------- Germany and USA - 2 times Norway - 1 time FIBA World Championships Men (Basketball) ------------------------------------------------------------------ USA and Russia = 3 times Brazil = 2 times Argentina and Spain = 1 time FIBA World Championships Women (Basketball) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Australia and Brazil = 1 time FIVB World Championships Men (Volleyball) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Czech Rep = Brazil = 2 times Poland, USA and Germany = 1 time FIVB World Championships Women (Volleyball) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Japan and Cuba = 3 times China = 2 times Sweden and Romania = 4 times Russia, Germany and France = 3 times Croatia, Czech Rep, Serbia and Spain = 1 time Handball World Championships Women Hungary, Serbia, Norway, Denmark, France, Romania, Czech Rep and South Korea = 1 time Australia and Germany = 2 times India = 1 time Russia = 31 World Cups in (Basketball, Volleyball

 and Handball) Germany = 17 World Cups (in Football, Volleyball, Handball and Hockey) USA = 13 World Cups (in Football, Basketball and Volleyball) Brazil = 10 World Cups (in Football, Basketball and Volleyball) Netherlands = 9 World Cups (in Hockey) Italy = 8 World Cups (in Football and Volleyball) Serbia = 7 World Cups (in Basketball and Handball) France = 5 World Cups (in Football and Handball) Romania = 5 World Cups (in Handball) Argentina = 4 World Cups (in Football, Basketball and Hockey) Czech Rep = 4 World Cups (in Volleyball and Handball) Sweden = 4 World Cups (in Handball) Pakistan = 4 World Cups (in Hockey) Spain = 3 World Cups (in Football, Basketball and Handball) Australia = 3 World Cups (in Basketball and Hockey) Japan = Cuba = 3 World Cups (in Volleyball) Norway = 2 World Cups (in Football and Handball) Uruguay = 2 World Cups (in Football) China = 2 World Cups (in Volleyball) England = 1 World Cup (in Football) Poland = 1 World Cup (

in Volleyball) Croatia = Hungary = Denmark = South Korea = 1 World Cup (in Handball) India = 1 World Cup (in Hockey) > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports?

> I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are > Cricket and Rugby have to be ahead of handball or field hockey. You could say the Rugby is a ball sport, a different shaped one but it's still a ball. > > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team > ball-sports? > > I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are > > > Cricket and Rugby have to be ahead of handball or field hockey. You > could say the Rugby is a ball sport, a different shaped one but it's > still a ball. Cricket and Rugby are only played in a handful of nations that have the chance to win a WC. That's different in Handball, and even Field Hockey is more competitive, I think. Additionally Rugby has only few people playing it, probably less than Handball and Field Hockey (Germany alone has around 1m registered players in each), while Cricket's participant numbers are boosted out of proportion by India. In any case you can probably argue that of the sports listed only Football, Basketball and Volleyball are true world sports. Ciao, I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting.

But it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously. Douglas Adams >> > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team >> ball-sports? >> > I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are >> > >> Cricket and Rugby have to be ahead of handball or field hockey. You >> could say the Rugby is a ball sport, a different shaped one but it's >> still a ball. > Cricket and Rugby are only played in a handful of nations that have the > chance to win a WC. That's different in Handball, and even Field Hockey > is more competitive, I think. > > Additionally Rugby has only few people playing it, probably less than > Handball and Field Hockey (Germany alone has around 1m registered > players in each), while Cricket's participant numbers are boosted out of > proportion by India. Don't let ignorance hold you back! -- "Mehdi" < Be...@soccer-europe.com > wrote in message news:y262o.340135$w51.323507@hurricane...

> > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team > ball-sports? > > I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are > > > Cricket and Rugby have to be ahead of handball or field hockey. You could > say the Rugby is a ball sport, a different shaped one but it's still a > ball. Rugby might be ok, but cricket is only played by English colonies. Plus, cricket is the most boring sport ever! unk...@googlegroups.com "anders t" <anthu_001@no_-_spam_. hotmail.com > wrote in message news:l7qi46h31asofaekrklf44i2171uimv1n8@4ax.com... >>Plus, cricket is the most boring sport ever! > > At least the cricket players are funny looking. Yeah, with their long pants in 40 degrees heat and their funny hats. It's still more exisitng to watch grass grow though. > Wait, so are the baseball players. Not all of them. "anders t" <anthu_001@no_-_spam_.

hotmail.com > wrote in message news:l7qi46h31asofaekrklf44i2171uimv1n8@4ax.com... >>Plus, cricket is the most boring sport ever! > > At least the cricket players are funny looking. > Wait, so are the baseball players. Why do baseball players have to wear those giant gloves/pouches? Are they not very good at catching balls in their hands? They could learn a bit from cricketers "Alkamista" < alka...@hotmail.com > wrote in message news:18ebbeee-3f74-488f-9110-ec26adfe3def@d37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... On Jul 23, 9:05 am, "Paul C" < p...@thersgb.net > wrote: > "anders t" <anthu_001@no_-_spam_. hotmail.com > wrote in message > > >>Plus, cricket is the most boring sport ever! > > > At least the cricket players are funny looking. > > Wait, so are the baseball players.

> > Why do baseball players have to wear those giant gloves/pouches? Are they > not very good at catching balls in their hands? Same reason wicket-keepers wear gloves. You could say why is the cricket bat wider than a baseball bat? Cricket batters can't hit that well? On Jul 23, 1:03 am, hs...@der-ball-ist-rund.net (Sven Mischkies) wrote: > > > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team > > ball-sports? > > > I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are > > > Cricket and Rugby have to be ahead of handball or field hockey. You > > could say the Rugby is a ball sport, a different shaped one but it's > > still a ball. > Cricket and Rugby are only played in a handful of nations that have the > chance to win a WC. That's different in Handball, and even Field Hockey > is more competitive, I think. Yes Handball world cup has been conducted since the Hitler days. Many nations play the sport. Field Hockey has many nations as well more than both Cricket and Rugby.

> > Additionally Rugby has only few people playing it, probably less than > Handball and Field Hockey (Germany alone has around 1m registered > players in each), while Cricket's participant numbers are boosted out of > proportion by India. > In any case you can probably argue that of the sports listed only > Football, Basketball and Volleyball are true world sports. > > I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting. But it > does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously. > Douglas Adams On Jul 23, 1:18 am, "Diabolik" < diabo...@nospam.com > wrote: > "Mehdi" < Be...@soccer-europe.com > wrote in message > > > > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team > > ball-sports? > > > I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are > > > Cricket and Rugby have to be ahead of handball or field hockey. You could > > say the Rugby is a ball sport, a different shaped one but it's still a > > ball. > Rugby might be ok, but cricket is only played by English colonies.

> > Plus, cricket is the most boring sport ever! Not so. Test Cricket is immensely boring. But One day and Twenty20 is very exciting On Jul 23, 5:04 am, anders t <anthu_001@no_-_spam_. hotmail.com > wrote: > Quoting Diabolik in rec.sport.soccer: > >Plus, cricket is the most boring sport ever! > > At least the cricket players are funny looking. > Wait, so are the baseball players. Cricketers are much more athletic than the baseball fastos "Insane Ranter" < log...@gmail.com > wrote in message news:2c6f45a0-0a00-4aa0-bc31-7f252da0e781@t2g2000yqe.googlegroups.com... No. The reason wicket keepers wear gloves is that they are standing directly behind the batsmen just as the catcher in baseball does. It's the outfielders I'm asking about.

On Jul 22, 5:52 pm, Soccer Guy < soccer777...@yahoo.com > wrote: > I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are > > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > Cricket and Rugby are only played in a handful of nations that have the > chance to win a WC. That's different in Handball, and even Field Hockey > is more competitive, I think. Some of these nations have massive populations, that makes them huge sports. Handball and Field Hockey are shown on Eurosport and not pay TV or FTA channels. > Additionally Rugby has only few people playing it, probably less than > Handball and Field Hockey (Germany alone has around 1m registered > players in each), while Cricket's participant numbers are boosted out of > proportion by India. The Six Nations, Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup, neither Field Hockey or Handball have Championships on that level. > In any case you can probably argue that of the sports listed only > Football, Basketball and Volleyball are true world sports. It's a World sport if it's played and enjoyed by vast audiences.

-- <This message has been deleted.> unk...@googlegroups.com > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > Even icehockey is ahead of cricket, and probably rugby, as a world sport. It's not a ball sport. > If cricket is let in, then floorball should be, too. Still on a level way below Cricket. Your average sports fan would struggle to name one floorball player. I think most sports fans have hear of Viv Richards or Shane Warne. -- > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? >> Rugby is a major international world sport. > The World outside Scandanavia and it's wacky sports no one has heard of. -- > > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team > ball-sports? > > Even icehockey is ahead of cricket, and probably rugby, as a world sport. > > It's not a ball sport. > > > If cricket is let in, then floorball should be, too. > > Still on a level way below Cricket.

Your average sports fan would > struggle to name one floorball player. I think most sports fans have > hear of Viv Richards or Shane Warne. No. :) I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting. But it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously. Douglas Adams > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > What's an average sports fan? One with the Queen as head of state? One who has an interest in most major sports. These Handball and Floorball players you speak about, they earn millions a year? Are stars beyond the sport, appear on television, are the faces of major brands? >> would >> struggle to name one floorball player. I think most sports fans have >> hear of Viv Richards or Shane Warne. > > I think you are WAY too frozen into your Queen's domains. She's not my Queen and frozen is appropriate in your case. -- > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > I wasn't the one bringing up handball (though it certainly demolishes > cricket, and probably rugby, as a world sport). How does it?

Are they major stars, courted by the major brands? > That was cheek-in-tongue as a response to your cricket wet dreams. Cricket is one of the World's major sports, whether you chose to admit it or not. >> you speak about, they earn millions a year? Are stars >> beyond the sport, appear on television, are the faces of major brands? > > That's not the definition of a world sport. See: American football. Gridiron is only huge in one market, Cricket is huge in the Indian subcontinent, Australia & New Zealand, The West Indies, South Africa and England. That's five continents, not one. -- "Mehdi" < Be...@soccer-europe.com > wrote in message news:ASk2o.46919$Ae5.42012@hurricane... > > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team >>> Rugby is a major international world sport. >> > The World outside Scandanavia and it's wacky sports no one has heard of.

:) Mehdi avait écrit le 23/07/2010 : > Cricket is one of the World's major sports, whether you chose > to admit it or not. In your dream, surely. Contre une équipe étrangère, quand on dit diplomatiquement que l'arbitre n'est pas dans un bon soir, c'est toujours le club français qui morfle. Il se trouve que Mehdi a formulé : > Still on a level way below Cricket. Your average sports fan > would struggle to name one floorball player. I think most > sports fans have hear of Viv Richards or Shane Warne. Who are they ? Contre une équipe étrangère, quand on dit diplomatiquement que l'arbitre n'est pas dans un bon soir, c'est toujours le club français qui morfle. On Jul 23, 5:18 pm, ixion martin - GdBx <ix...@martin.invalid> wrote: > Mehdi avait écrit le 23/07/2010 : > > > Cricket is one of the World's major sports, whether you chose > > to admit it or not.

> I wanna know how big is cricket in Brazil, China, Germany, Russia and USA - 5 of the biggest sporting nations on Earth I'd say it was as big as 'Handball" RED DEVIL Here is some information on the cricket world cup : The tournament is the world's third largest (with only the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics exceeding it), being televised in over 200 countries to over 2.2 billion television viewers.[1][2][46][47] Television rights, mainly for the 2011 and 2015 World Cup, were sold for over US$1.1 billion,[48] and sponsorship rights were sold for a further US$500 million.[49] The 2003 Cricket World Cup matches were attended by 626,845 people,[50] while the 2007 Cricket World Cup sold more than 672,000 tickets and recorded the highest ticketing revenue for a Cricket World Cup.[51][52] RED DEVIL >> > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team >> ball-sports?

>>>> Rugby is a major international world sport. >>> >>The World outside Scandanavia and it's wacky sports no one has heard of. > >Rugby is not nearly a popular world wide as you and your Queen seem to >think. Note: I'm not at all saying rugby isn't a decent sport. > >Btw: why do so many spell Scandinavia Scandanavia? Rugby World Cup The tournament is one of the largest international sporting events in the world, surpassed in scale only by the FIFA World Cup, the Summer Olympics.[1][2] the Tour de France.[20] The Cricket World Cup. The first World Cup, in 1987, had a cumulative world television audience of 300 million; its successor, the 1991 event in England, reached 1.75 billion.

South Africa's 1995 tournament reached 2.67 billion, and the 1999 Welsh hosted event reached 3 billion.[21] The 2003 tournament had a cumulative world television audience of 3.5 billion,[22] and the final, between Australia and England, became the most watched rugby union match in the history of Australian television.[23] The event was broadcast in 205 countries.[24] The 2003 tournament had a cumulative world television audience of 3.5 billion, it had 48 matches, with an average attendance of 38,282 and a total of 1,837,547.

The 2007 tournament had a cumulative world television audience of 4.2 billion for the 48 matches, with an average attendance of 47,150 per match, and a total attandance at all matches of 2,263,223.[25] RED DEVIL "RED DEVIL" < manut...@bellsouth.net > a écrit dans le message de news: 54ok46pjtgo9vgshvqeog81n1g4naat13g@4ax.com...

> The tournament is the world's third largest (with only the FIFA World > Cup and the Summer Olympics exceeding it), being televised in over 200 > countries to over 2.2 billion television viewers.[1][2][46][47] > Television rights, mainly for the 2011 and 2015 World Cup, were sold > for over US$1.1 billion,[48] and sponsorship rights were sold for a > further US$500 million.[49] The 2003 Cricket World Cup matches were > attended by 626,845 people,[50] while the 2007 Cricket World Cup sold > more than 672,000 tickets and recorded the highest ticketing revenue > for a Cricket World Cup.[51][52] This place the cricket world cup far below Rugby Union.

The tournament is one of the largest international sporting events in the world, surpassed in scale only by the FIFA World Cup, the Summer Olympics and the Tour de France.The first World Cup, in 1987, had a cumulative world television audience of 300 million; its successor, the 1991 event in England, reached 1.75 billion. South Africa's 1995 tournament reached 2.67 billion, and the 1999 Welsh hosted event reached 3 billion. The 2003 tournament had a cumulative world television audience of 3.5 billion, and the final, between Australia and England, became the most watched rugby union match in the history of Australian television. The event was broadcast in 205 countries. The 2003 tournament had a cumulative world television audience of 3.5 billion, it had 48 matches, with an average attendance of 38,282 and a total of 1,837,547.

The 2007 tournament had a cumulative world television audience of 4.2 billion for the 48 matches, with an average attendance of 47,150 per match, and a total attandance at all matches of 2,263,223 "Soccer Guy" < soccer...@yahoo.com > wrote in message news:b54ef8b2-94df-43b5-ace9-9a53fd30ede6@z10g2000yqb.googlegroups.com... >I guess one can argue the top 5 team ball sports are > > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > No, that's < 10 countries. Thank you for playing. It's played in five continents. > A world sport should be defined as a sport that most, if not practically > ALL, able-bodied humans have played themselves at some times of their lives > (at least during the school period), and/or is a quite normal subject of > discussion in the media almost every day. That discounts your whacky Swedish sports.

> A sport that is big in the UK, Australia, India and South Africa isn't > bigger than one that is big in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, Of course it is. Did you read what you wrote above? Played during school or during their lives, Cricket is obviously played by considerbaly more people than probably any sport outside of soccer for the reasons soccer is played i.e. the equipment is cheap and it can be played anywhere - you don't need a court. > although I'm sure all subjects of the Queen _think_ it _should_ be > considered more important. Let's get this straight. Britian had a vast empire. Soccer is the #1 sport in the World because it was taken accross the World by the Brtish. Some countries didn't take to it like they took to other sports such as Cricket. The Queen didn't force anyone to pick up a bat and ball, the sport took off because people enjoyed playing it. > I think the only true World (Ball) Sports are football/soccer, basketball > and volleyball. > The rest are all more or less (sub)regional or (sub)cultural. Like your whacky Swedish sports.

-- > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? >> Cricket is one of the World's major sports, whether you chose to admit >> it or not. How many people do you think watch and play on the Indian Subcontinent? -- > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > I wanna know how big is cricket in Brazil, China, Germany, Russia and > USA - 5 of the biggest sporting nations on Earth It's not. * anders t [2010-07-24 01:22] [rec.sport.soccer]: > Quoting Mehdi in rec.sport.soccer: >>Cricket is huge in the Indian >>subcontinent, Australia & New Zealand, The West Indies, South Africa and >>England. That's five continents, not one. > No, that's < 10 countries. Thank you for playing. > > This is also a reply to some other post(er)s: > > That's the problem with sports like Cricket and Rugby.

> > - They are very big where they are big, plus > - They are very big in (some) high profile countries; > those countries have large populations and/or of > "UK origin". India is not of "UK origin". I think you meant "were under British rule". Those two statements are quite different, even though the first is snappier to say. Rugby (in one code or other) has actually done a better job of spreading outside the traditional British imperialist influence to Italy, France etc. It is still not a world sport, I think. > A world sport should be defined as a sport that most, if not practically > ALL, able-bodied humans have played themselves at some times of their lives > (at least during the school period), and/or is a quite normal subject of > discussion in the media almost every day. I feel like that's too broad a definition, but I don't have a problem with this definition. I definitely don't consider cricket a world sport. Whether it is more or less popular than ice-hockey or similar is not as interesting a discussion for me as it is usually more a factor of where one was born/grew up.

My (uneducated) wager would be that most, if not all able-bodied humans in many countries of Asia/Africa have never even heard of ice-hockey, much less be able to make fun of their funny clothes. At least cricket has captured that part of the non-playing world's imagination. :) > A sport that is big in the UK, Australia, India and South Africa isn't > bigger than one that is big in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, > although I'm sure all subjects of the Queen _think_ it _should_ be > considered more important. Indian citizens are not subjects of the Queen. Nor are South African citizens. I believe Danish, Finnish and yes Swedish citizens are actually subjects of a King/Queen though. If you would like to consider cricket a big sport, I definitely don't want to stop you.:) > I think the only true World (Ball) Sports are football/soccer, basketball > and volleyball. > The rest are all more or less (sub)regional or (sub)cultural. I'd agree with that, with football (association football) a clear margin ahead of basketball and volleyball.

Sid remove the espam bits to mail unk...@googlegroups.com > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > Sometimes you're quite reasonable, and readable. > Sometimes, you just freak out, like in this discussion. > > You haven't even seen a live match in your favorite sport, for chrissakes. > You have no reference points in your life to be able understand this issue Says someone who pimps whackemeroo Scandinavian sports. In terms of participation Cricket has to be one of the top five most played sports on the planet and to be dismissive of that because that participation happens to take place in 'third World countries' with vast populations that were part of the British Empire is ridiculous. -- "Mehdi" < Be...@soccer-europe.com > wrote in message news:LjE2o.55051$AS4.44106@hurricane... 8) Ice Hockey (I know not a ball but just here to keep the what's number 8?

if omitted) "Paul C" < pa...@thersgb.net > wrote in message news:8avl21Fek3U5@mid.individual.net... I'm thinking that if you wanted to scoff at the inclusion of one of these sports, field hockey would have been the easier target. Going over the list, I don't think there is any argument about the top 3: FIFA: 208 member associations Handball has 159 member association, has been an Olympic sport in 1936 and from 1972 onwards. At its highest levels, handball is clearly European-centric, but even within those boundaries the sport isn't restricted to one specific region of Europe. Countries as varied as Norway, Iceland, France, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Croatia, Romania, Germany and Russia (and many others) have all won medals at the Olympics. If I'm not mistaken, both South Korea and China have won medals at the Olympics in handball, and the Koreans have won medals in both the men's and women's tournaments.

Field hockey has 127 member associations spread across all 6 continents and has been an Olympic sport since the 1908 (omitting 1912 and 1924). Again, many of the top contenders are European, but there are also strong teams from Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Korea and China. In my books, both handball and field hockey make valid claims to being world sports. In comparison, the IRB (Rugby Union) has 115 member association and the ICC (cricket) has 105 members. At the highest levels, rugby has spread further with countries like France, Italy, Argentina and Japan (among others) putting out sides that are either highly competitive or simply capable performers. Rugby 7's will be an Olympic sport starting in 2016, although I'm not sure what the impact this will have on the 15s version of the sport. I fear that the best athletes will be directed to sevens to the detriment of the traditional 15-a-side version. Cricket is more of a closed shop than rugby.

Only 10 associations (out of 105) are actually full members of the ICC with "test" playing privileges. The ICC doesn't appear to spend a whole lot of money at promoting and developing the game with its associate and affiliate members, so it would seem that the 10 at the top table are quite protective of their positions. Probably more damning, the 10 test playing nations are all Commonwealth nations, as are many of the top associate members. That said, the ICC has expanded the Cricket World Cup to include more associate members and the World Cricket League (with 6 or 7 divisions) are steps in the right direction. Personally, I like both rugby and cricket and I consider both of them to be world sports, but I would have to rank them on a level about the same as field hockey at best and slightly below it at worst. > A world sport should be defined as a sport that most, if not practically > ALL, able-bodied humans have played themselves at some times of their lives > (at least during the school period), and/or is a quite normal subject of > discussion in the media almost every day.

> > A sport that is big in the UK, Australia, India and South Africa isn't > bigger than one that is big in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, > although I'm sure all subjects of the Queen _think_ it _should_ be > considered more important. > I think the only true World (Ball) Sports are football/soccer, basketball > and volleyball. > The rest are all more or less (sub)regional or (sub)cultural. > Well, one of the ICC associate members is Germany. If you look at the website of the German body you'll find 3 curious things: 1) Even when setting the language explicitly to German there will be a lot of English ;), 2) there's a total of about 70 clubs in all of Germany, 3) of which some have explicitly expat names. If you want to you can also look up the names of the NT players. Good luck in finding a German name in there. This is for an associate members, presumably the affiliate members have even less connection to the country they are in and less people playing it. Therefore of the 107 or so members I'd dismiss most of the 60 affiliates out of hand.

As Germany isn't the worst associate member (e.g. beat Israel recently) I'd be surprised if many associates would fulfill above criteria. Anyway: Without the affiliates ICC has about a quarter of the world's countries as members, and doesn't even get close to fulfilling above criteria. Rugby is different, as it is played outside of the Commonwealth and is far wider known. I doubt that it fit's the 1% criteria, but it gets much closer than cricket. > Full Member New Zealand 44 > Full Member Pakistan 1701 > Full Member South Africa 493 > Full Member Sri Lanka 202 > Full Member West Indies 375 > Full Member Zimbabwe 125 > Top Ass/Aff Member Afghanistan 282 > Top Ass/Aff Member Canada 342 > Top Ass/Aff Member Ireland 62 > Top Ass/Aff Member Kenya 390 > Top Ass/Aff Member Netherlands 166 > Top Ass/Aff Member Scotland 52 > > As a start: do all these 16 (super) power members fullfil the 1% > criteria?

Do you mean actual registered players, or just anyone who has a hit about in a park? Are juniors / school kids included? Women? Indoor cricket and other versions of the game? Without looking up the stats, I'd suggest yes for the top 10 (or 22, depending on how one counts the West Indies) and no for the rest of list (and therefore the world). But I suspect football is the only sport which has a hope of meeting the criteria :-) > >>>> Well how about you come up with a definition and we can take it from > >>>> there. > >>> World sport: A sport that is played in more than 50% of the countries, > >>> by at least 1% of the indigenous population? > > >> That's not bad. I await figures showing that rugby and cricket fall just > >> below the threshold :-) > > If Wikipedia is correct there are 10 full members and 6 top ass/aff > > members > > of the cricket world. That's 16 in total (although "West Indies" should > > perhaps count as 20). > The Wedst Indies comprises 13 separate nations. lol, they still play as one country.

West Indies are crap anyway these days. If you separate them out like Jamaica, Trinidad etc, they would be worse than the likes of Bangladesh > Seriously, now, the way to determine the top 'n' sports in any chosen > category is as follows: > - for each sport in the category, count the number of countries where > the sport in question is among the top 'n' in that country > - add the number of spectators from each of these countries > - for each sport, calculate the geometric mean of number of countries > and number of spectators It strikes me that this is an impossible question to answer, no matter how objective you try to be. 1) Are we talking about a sport's popularity by participation or by spectating? American football is a very popular sport in North America, even though it's not videly played at all. 2) Which is more important - a sport which is only played in a few countries, but is very important in those countries, or a sport which is played in many countries, but is not so important in any of those countries? Some sports are just easier to play recreationally.

I would suggest that the only objective way to measure it is to simply count the number of people (wherever they are located) who would answer "yes" to the following question: "Do you enjoy watching <sport>?". On that basis, I'm my guess is that cricket, rugby union, American football and baseball would all rank higher than field hockey, handball, and maybe even volleyball even though all four sports are much more highly clustered in their popularity. Huw > Subject : Which nation has won the most World Cups in the top 5 team ball-sports? > Question: How likely is the following: > > 1. A Top 5 ranked cricket team gets beaten by a team not > ranked among the Top 10 in a WC/OG (comparable) game. > > 2. A Top 5 ranked handball team gets beaten by a team not > ranked among the Top 10 in a WC/OG game. > > 3. A Top 5 ranked icehockey team gets beaten by a team not > ranked among the Top 10 in a WC/OG game. > > Questions 2 and 3 are easy. Not unlikely at all. Happens quite often.

In > fact, it is even difficult, next to impossible, to define the Top 10 at any > given time. > How about question 1? I have no idea. Here, cricket experts need to fill > in. A test level the chance of Australia losing to a nation outside of the top 10 is probably non existent. At T20 and one day level there's a greater chance. >>>>> I have nothing against Cricket which was once my favorite sport. But >>>>> to consider Cricket was a worldwide sports is retarded considering >>>>> there are only 9 teams which are considered of international quality. >>>> >>>> Is it worthwhile pointing out that only 8 nations have ever won the >>>> football WC? >>> If you had said that only 8 teams has ever reached a quarterfinal of a >>> WC, >>> I guess, you would have had a point. >>> >>> But, in total, I count 40 nations reaching the QF of a soccer WC. >> >> No one's disputing that soccer is *the* world game. >> >> What are the figures for handball and ice hockey?

> * Number of different teams which have won the world cup (sample size too small) * Discounting number of players from India since it is too big (moving goalposts) * Discounting West Indian nations since they are too small (ditto) * Ability of nation x at sport y (ability levels bear little relationship to popularity. Football is very popular in England, for instance :-) But the IOC is a bloody farce (as bad as FIFA). Plenty of sports should not be there - tennis, modern pentathlon, synchronized swimming, synchronized diving, artistic gymnastics, trampolining, greco-roman wrestling, mountain biking,... and now they add golf and rugby- how bloody stupid. Who was it who asked if Formula One would be next? So being in the Olympics counts for virtually zilch IHMO. -- >> Question: How likely is the following: >> 1. A Top 5 ranked cricket team gets beaten by a team not >> ranked among the Top 10 in a WC/OG (comparable) game. >> 2. A Top 5 ranked handball team gets beaten by a team not >> ranked among the Top 10 in a WC/OG game. >> 3.

A Top 5 ranked icehockey team gets beaten by a team not >> ranked among the Top 10 in a WC/OG game. >> Questions 2 and 3 are easy. Not unlikely at all. Happens quite often. >> In >> fact, it is even difficult, next to impossible, to define the Top 10 at >> any >> How about question 1? I have no idea.

Here, cricket experts need to >> fill History of Hockey World Cup - Times of India Times of India 2nd T20I | 17 Jan, 2016 ZIM125/8 Bangladesh won by 42 runs 3rd ODI | 17 Jan, 2016 AUS296/7 Australia won by 3 wkts 2nd T20I | 17 Jan, 2016 NZ171/0 New Zealand won by 10 wkts AUS India tour of Australia, 2016 BAN Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh, 2016 PAKA England Lions tour of United Arab Emirates, 2015-16 22nd Match | 20 Jan, 2016 CD348/7 23rd Match | 20 Jan, 2016 CAN251/8 24th Match | 20 Jan, 2016 OTG362/8 'Oz series a learning curve' History of Hockey World Cup Conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan, the idea of the Hockey World Cup was

 proposed to FIH that approved it on October 26, 1969.

TNN | Feb 27, 2010, 05.53 PM IST Conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan, the idea of the Hockey World Cup was proposed to International Hockey Federation (FIH) that approved it on October 26, 1969, and it was adopted by the FIH Council in Brussels on April 12, 1970. The first World Cup was allotted to Pakistan in 1971, but was shifted to the Real Polo Club in Barcelona, Spain, because of security issues in Lahore. The first three tournaments were held every two years. The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous tournament. Since 1982, the tournament has been held every four years, halfway between the Olympics' hockey competition. Pakistan is the most successful team of the Hockey World Cup, having won the tournament four times. The Netherlands have won three titles, and Germany has won two titles. India and Australia have each won the tournament once. India qualified for the twelfth Hockey World Cup as hosts of the tournament.

A BRIEF HISTORY: The first Hockey World Cup was held in Barcelona, Spain from October 15-24, 1971 at Real Polo grounds. After 30 matches and beating 9 other countries, including the host, Pakistan claimed the trophy. The Indians were favourites despite having lost their hold on the Olympic gold medal at the 1968 Games in Mexico where they had finished third. India duly qualified for the semi-finals with victories against France (1-0), Argentina (1-0) and Kenya (2-0) and came up against Pakistan who won the game 2-1. Pakistan, who had lost 2-3 to Spain in the league, were lucky to even qualify for the semis as The Netherlands, needing a win to advance to the round of four, crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat to Japan. Pakistan went on to win the World Cup, defeating Spain 1-0 in the final. India finished third after a hard-fought 1-0 win against Kenya.

Winner: Pakistan Second Hockey World Cup: The second Hockey World Cup was held in Amsterdam, Holland from August 24-September 2, 1973 at the Wagener Stadium, Amstelveen. This is one of the few tournaments where the host country won the trophy on its own grounds after drawing 1-1 against India and then 4-2 through penalties. India had a decent run in the preliminary league as they defeated Japan 5-0, drew goalless with Germany, beat Kenya 4-0 and drew 1-1 with New Zealand. India then faced an under-strength Pakistan in the semi-finals. Pakistan virtually fielded a second string with 13 of their players from the 1972 Olympics serving a life ban for misconduct. India snatched a 1-0 win to set up a clash with hosts Holland in the final. With both teams scoring two goals each, the match went into extra-time, but that was goalless. In the tie-breaker, Ajit Pal and Harmek converted while Harcharan Singh pushed wide and Govinda's attempt was saved.

Ashok Kumar did not take the last push as the Dutch had by then clinched the issue for a 6-4 score-line. Winner: Netherlands Third Hockey World Cup: The third Hockey World Cup was held at Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from March 1-19, 1975. This was the first time a Hockey World Cup was hosted at an Asian country and also the first time that India won 2-1 against Pakistan. In the league, India lost 1-2 to Argentina and drew 1-1 with Australia besides defeating England 2-1 and debutants Ghana 7-0. In their final league game that was replayed after rain interruption, India overcame West Germany 3-1 to top the pool. In the semi-finals, India came from behind to beat Malaysia. The rousing final remains one of the most debated and controversial international hockey matches. Zahid Sheikh gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead, but Surjit Singh converted a penalty corner for the equaliser and Ashok Kumar netted the match-winner as India won the World Cup for the first time.

Winner: India Fourth Hockey World Cup: The fourth Hockey World Cup was held at Campo del Polo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, from March 18-April 1, 1978 and was yet again dominated by Pakistan with a 3-2 win against the Netherlands in the final. India ended up sixth in Buenos Aires much due to complacency and indiscipline, both among players and administrators. The 1976-78 period is termed as dark days for Indian hockey that was marked by a seventh place finish at the 1976 Montreal Olympics where astro-turf was introduced. The Indian playing elevens were decided at the last possible moment and the mismanagement was reflected in a series of defeats, including 1-3 to Canada and 0-7 to West Germany in the league besides 1-2 to Spain in the 5-6 position play-off match. Pakistan won the competition for the second time beating the Netherlands 3-2.

Winner: Pakistan Fifth Hockey World Cup: World Cup came to India a year after they won the gold medal at the boycott-ridden 1980 Moscow Olympic Games and was held in Bombay from December 29, 1981 to January 12, 1982. The run-up to the tournament, held in Bombay from December 29, 1981 to January 12, 1982, was rather ominous with Indian players up in arms after being lodged in the basement of the Wankhede Stadium while other teams were provided five-star accommodation. Following a media blitz and heavy criticism, the authorities shifted the Indian team to a well-appointed hotel. Though not lacking in home support, India narrowly missed a semi-final spot and eventually settled for fifth place to end a rather disappointing run. Pakistan grabbed the title after mercilessly beating West Germany 3-1 at the finals. This was the last international tournament to be played on natural grass with the FIH opting for synthetic surface.

Winner: Pakistan Sixth Hockey World Cup: The sixth World Cup, was held at Willesden, London, England from October 4-19, 1986, was scheduled within a couple of days after the Asian Games in South Korea. Underdogs Australia, who had consecutively taken third place in the previous two tournaments, finally prevailed and claimed their well-deserved trophy after beating hosts England 2-1. The Indians lost 0-1 to Poland, 1-2 to Spain and 0-6 to Australia in the league. Their only consolation came from a 2-0 win against Canada and 2-2 draw with West Germany. India lost 2-3 to Pakistan in extra-time in the 11-12 position match; that was witnessed by only a handful of spectators as the former kings of hockey bit the dust. Winner: Australia Second Runner's Up: West Germany Twelfth Place: India Seventh Hockey World Cup: The seventh Hockey World Cup was held in Lahore from February 12-23, 1990.

Possibly one of the most exciting tournaments ever with hosts Pakistan meeting Netherlands in the final yet again, but history did not repeat itself and Pakistan lost 3-1. It was a nightmare of a tournament for India as the players had to deal with the fear factor. Due to security concerns, they couldn't even leave their hotel rooms and it eventually told on the team. The Indians had to put up with ceaseless heckling from the partisan crowd each time they stepped on the pitch. The situation turned ugly when missiles were hurled at the players and the team was offered the option of pulling out, but they declined. The Indians began with a 1-1 draw with Soviet Union, then lost 3-5 to Argentina, 1-2 to France, 3-5 to the Netherlands and 2-3 to Australia in the league. Their only win was against Canada (2-1) in the classification match before they lost 0-1 to Argentina to end up 10th. Winner: Netherlands Eighth Hockey World Cup: The eighth Hockey World Cup was held at Homebush Stadium in Sydney, Australia from November 23 to December 4, 1994.

The finals consisted of Netherlands versus Pakistan for the third time in history. The final game was a draw of 1-1, after penalties, Pakistan claimed the trophy with 4-3 win. The World Cup would also be remembered for the mesmeric display of Shahbaz Ahmed who played the final against the Dutch nursing a hamstring injury. India finished fifth while missing the semi-final berth by a whisker. Defeats to Germany (2-1) and the Netherlands (4-2) in the league saw India finishing third in the pool with victories against Korea (2-0) and Belgium (4-2) and a 2-2 draw with South Africa contributing to their points tally of five. India went on to beat Argentina and England to finish fifth, matching their 1982 World Cup ranking. Winner: Pakistan Ninth Hockey World Cup: The Hockey World Cup of 1998 was held at Galgenwaard Stadium in Utrecht, Netherlands from June 20-July 1, 1998. The Dutch made history by being the only country to win a tournament at its home ground not once, but twice.

The World Cup witnessed the height of Spanish resurgence as they made it to the final only to lose 2-3 to the Netherlands in extra-time. It was a repeat clash of the 1996 Olympic final that the Dutch had won 3-1. The Utrecht success presented the Dutch their third World Cup. India finished ninth after losing to Canada (1-4), Germany (1-4), South Korea (3-4) and the Netherlands (0-5) while chalking up just one win (1-0) against New Zealand in the league. Winner: Netherlands After finishing fourth, third and second place in the past three decades, Germany took home the trophy of the 2002 Hockey World Cup held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from February 24 to March 4, 2002. Germany won the tournament for the first time defeating Australia 2-1. India suffered three consecutive defeats (1-2 vs South Korea, 2-3 vs Malaysia, 2-3 vs England) leading to ejection of coach Cedric D'Souza.

When Cedric's assistant Kumar took charge, the team fared only marginally better, defeating lowly Cuba 4-0, Poland 4-1, but narrowly losing to Australia 3-4 as India ended up playing for 9-12 positions. A 3-0 win against Spain lifted India, but they went down 1-2 to New Zealand in the match for 9-10 positions. Winner: Germany Eleventh Hockey World Cup: The last Hockey World Cup was held at Monchengladbach, Germany from September 6 to September 17, 2006. Germany won for second consecutive time after beating Australia 4-3. Germany's Ulrich Bubolz received the Best Goalkeeper trophy and his teammate Christopher Zeller received the Most Promising Player trophy. In their opening fixture, India and Germany were tied 2-2 with a minute left on the clock, but Germany struck seconds before close for a 3-2 decision. A 2-3 loss to England in the next match effectively shut the door on India who then struggled to a 1-1 draw with South Africa before going down 1-2 to South Korea.

This was followed by a 1-6 thrashing against the Netherlands. Having to play for 9-12 positions, India crashed to a 2-3 defeat to Argentina and then scrambled to a 1-0 win against South Africa in the 11-12 position playoff match. Winner: Germany Top Ten Best Hockey Countries - TheTopTens® Top Ten Best Hockey Countries The Top Ten 1 Canada Canada is a country in North America that is next to the United States, and it's the 2nd largest country in the world (size is 9 . 985 million km²).This country has 10 provinces, and 3 territories. Canada declared independence from Great Britain on July 1, 1867. Its 10 provinces are: Ontario, British ... read more . Hockey is our game! We live, breathe, and crap hockey. - SeanyFens Canada has enough good players to put a different team up against every country that competed in 2010 Olympics and still win a majority its games. (Over 60% of NHL players come from Canada) Moreover, in a best of seven series featuring best players on best, Canada would win every time.

There can be no doubt whatsoever that Canada is, by far, the best hockey nation in the world. When you are born in Canada you are born into hockey. It doesn't matter if you play it or even watch it, you are born into it because it is our sport. We invented and we play it the best. When you ask random people from other countries about Canada, there minds instantly go to Hockey because it's our sport and we play it the best. After the 2016 World Cup of hockey I think we can all agree we need not no longer ask the question "who owns hockey? " V 253 Comments 2 Sweden So, who cares who got the most players / population? It's the medals that counts, now doesn't it? In all, I'd say Russia, Canada, Sweden, Czech or Finland. It's sad to see all you kids rating Finland over Sweden, since the difference between medals in all are like 30 medals. Sweden's national team is one of the few teams that actually play as a team. Team spirit and a lot of sacrifice on the ice are features that characterize the Swedish ice hockey teams for sure, but especially Sweden's male national team.

Today there's no better team than Sweden. Look how we run over all our opponents. It's obvious. 9 millions and still the best hockey team. Much better than US V 56 Comments 3 Russia They are really good at it and it's such a shame that happened in the plane crush with the Russian team. Rest in peace comrades! I am Bulgarian and I think Russia is really a powerful team. Canada and Russia are the strongest in the world. I'll always be rooting for Russia Russia won the world cup this year for the 26th time a record. - ratingman The world cup means absolutely nothing. All of the good players are still playing in the NHL playoffs. Russia is the best because they win everyone. V 48 Comments 4 United States The United States of America, or the U.S.A for short, is a federal republic composed of 50 states. 48 of them are contiguous states. There are two other states, Alaska and Hawaii, which are north and south of the contiguous states, respectively. The United States declared its independence from the British ... read more .

How can a team that won the SILVER medal be ranked 6th They deserve to be at number 5, a SILVER medal in 2010 does not get you to the top of the list like Canada and Sweden Usa stats - 98 offense,95 defense,95 goalie. Canada stats-100 offense,98 defense,94 goalie. only 4 difference - ifgy I play hockey and every in my school likes it V 82 Comments 5 Finland Only one country besides Canada has more than one per cent of its general population listed as registered hockey players and that is Finland. Also, ever since the NHL has been involved in the Winter Olympics (beginning in 1998) the country winning the most medals in men's hockey has been Finland. Indeed, since 1988 (the last seven Winter Olympics), Finland has won more Olympic medals than any other in men's hockey. It also gets the most attention of any sport in the Finnish media and fan support is very strong. So, in my opinion, there are only two great hockey nations on earth: Canada and Finland. The USA and Russia don't even come close.

For the last 25 years Finland has won 2 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze medals in Ice Hockey World Championships and also 2 silver and 4 bronze medals in Olympic games, and by far better like USA has done in these past 25 years. Also at the Women's Championships Finland has won 10 bronze medals and 2 bronze medals in Olympic games and they are third best country after Canada and USA. Every year Finland doesn't have nowhere the best roster of the games, but still they beat harder opponents in paper and do it in a great way. In NHL they have good solid players and top goaltenders playing year after another. Now Canadians says that: "Ice Hockey is their hobby and game." I believe that is true, but I am considered that it is (at least someways) Finland game as well. I am not sure if Finland BEST ice hockey country in a world, but I definitely think it is at least in top 5. Finland has great ice hockey players and they have possibilities to defeat USA, Sweden, Russia and Canada which are strong ice hockey countries as well. Consider this: Finland is about size of Minnesota and it keeps product great players and making process in World Championship and Olympics.

I am from Finland myself and I am always proud of our Finland team. I follow our SM and when its possible: World Championship even when its not about Finland match. Because I like Ice Hockey and good matches. Finland is also number one in junior hockey V 51 Comments 6 Czech Republic The Czech Republic, per capita, in regard to medals, blows away all 5 countries ranked above them. Only 10 million people in this country and they still rank in top 3 in medals in world competition. If the two countries of former Czechoslovakia were still together they would have the Gold or Silver in the Olympics and World Championships for the last 20 years. And that's still with under 18 million people! Russia is great at hockey only because during the communist occupation of Czechoslovakia they made Czechoslovakian coaches train them to be good. Canadians have hockey, hockey and hockey. So, yes, if you have a huge country with a huge population where it's freezing 9 months out of the year. I hope you are at least good at one thing...

If the Czech Republic was as big and had that population the world would stop player competitive hockey because they would be tired of the Czechs winning gold every year... USA, Sweden and Finland are good too, but again, look at the results for the ... more Country only of 10 millions people and yet the most medals won in the history of hockey... Along with Russia.. (which has 30x more people)... Therefore The Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia is the true best hockey country in the world. Also a large portion of NHL players are Czech and Slovaks. How can a team that is historically third best nation in hockey, be ranked 6th? Czech Republic has the most medals won in the history of hockey. In the ranking of gold medals is ranked 3rd behind Canada and Russian. In the past 20 years the because won on World Cups the gold medals 6 times. No other country won more times in last 20 years. Czechs even won the gold medal from Olympic Games in Nagano 1998 and was bronze in Turin in 2006. Czech Republic shoudl be ranked on 3rd position, not worse. Should be higher on the list.

It's a top 5 hockey country for sure while Sweden certainly isn't. V 13 Comments 8 Switzerland Switzerland is good goal keeper, name Patrick Aebischer, Martin Gerber and and and. Team Switzerland have red and white dress and in center of dress is have beautiful cross. Most up and coming nation... will be part of the "Big 7" soon displacing Slovakia. 13 NHL players in 2015-2016 season and counting. Switzerland is good at hockey and I appreciate that. Because I like the cheese V 4 Comments 9 Germany Germany was formally united in 1871 under the initiative of Bismarck with King Wilhelm of Prussia as emperor. The previous 'Holy Roman Empire', basically a continuation of the empire of Charlemagne/Karl der Grosse was dissolved in 1806. ... read more . Germany has the potential to reach more athletes because of there high population. They seem more like soccer (football) people. Germany belongs to soccer world not hockey world! Germany is about soccer (football) and shouldn't be in championships because they're a disgrace to the game.

V 7 Comments 10 Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. What the butt is India and Morocco and Australia doing on this list Philippines too they don't even play hockey - ketchup A country with the best hockey fans in the world! I'm Latvian, and proud of it. Ice hockey is like our religion. We live, breath and dream ice hockey! Latvia is pro at hockey The Contenders 11 India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. If talking about land hockey, it is difficult to beat the team We have alway's been one of the best hockey playing nations of the world and I believe on terms of skill we are still the best surpassing australia and the european countries. India have won 8 olympic gold and numerous tournaments. They are the Asian powerhouse compared to Malaysia. INDIA is the best country in the world and also galaxy.

I AM PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN V 60 Comments 12 China China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a sovereign state in East Asia. It is the world's most populous state, with a population of over 1.381 billion. It was established in 1949. Its capital is Beijing. The other major cities are Hong Kong and Shanghai. Chinese (Mandarin) is the only official ... read more . China sucks. they don't play very good hockey. They lost 28-6 to Russia - ifgy That's sad. They scored 6 times on Russia - Zachywaky Their not very good but they play fair China just got a team in the KHL. They are a hockey program on the rise and I am already looking forward to the Bejing winter olympics in 2022. V 7 Comments 13 North Korea The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, also known as North Korea, is a country in Eastern Asia. Its capital is Pyongyang. It is currently ruled by the dictator Kim Jong-Un, after inheriting the title from his father, Kim Jong-Il, who inherited it from his father, Kim Il-Sung. ...

read more . The United Kingdom is way! better than the North Korea team The United Kingdom is WAY better than the North Korea! Canada is way better than the United Kingdom and North Korea! Canada is totally the best! V 15 Comments 14 United Kingdom The United Kingdom (UK) is a sovereign state which consists of the political and economic union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was a member of the European Union (EU) from 1973 to 2016. The UK is well known for ancient and modern literature, its influence in world music, its historical ... read more . The United Kingdom invented the game of Hockey and Ice Hockey as we know it today... Interesting fact they won a World Championship in Ice Hockey 1956. Unfortunately due to lack of funding they now only play the field version. Would like to see them competing again with the bigger Ice Hockey nations. The people of the United Kingdom gave us so many amazing sports, shame they're not as competitive as before... United Kingdom invented the game of Hockey and Ice Hockey as we know it today. Here's an interesting fact they won a World Championship in Ice Hockey 1956!

The sad thing is now they only play the field version, would like to see them competing again with the bigger Ice Hockey nations... They gave the world so many amazing sports! I am a huge fan of the United Kingdom because I'm british and they created the game of hockey and they are one of the best playing teams in the world and they are better than many other countries that play hockey. The reasons that they are the best team is because... 1) There awesome V 19 Comments 15 Belarus They only lost to Canada 10-0 and Russia 8-1 in the world juniors but granted, they did beat Sweden and Finland. - Zachywaky This needs to be in top ten and they are much better than India Small population and good team should be higher I can't believe everybody forgot the bells 16 Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Europe. The southernmost of the Nordic countries, it is south-west of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Although not a very good team, they are way better than United Kingdom, China, Netherlands and Japan for sure. They should be placed higher Why the heck is Denmark down here!?

They aren't good but they're better than half these teams that basically don't even play hockey! (okay Denmark doesn't really either) and where's Norway? Norways should be higher than Denmark!...one Canadians point of view They have some good players like Lars eller and a few different player and they should be ranked 9 not 18th Denmark should be higher! V 2 Comments 18 Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia in the Pacific Ocean which has a huge capital city called Tokyo . Other cities in Japan include Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Nagoya and Sendai . It's close to South Korea, which is on the North West of it . It has a large population of 127 . 3 million people (in ... read more . V 3 Comments 19 South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea IS amazing they do a lot of sports but they also have the most cutest guys and singers such as kpop like exo BTs seventeen etc.

I bet you can beat Canada if you could keep that score up V 10 Comments 20 Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia. Ruled by the Dutch for over 300 years, the country gained independence in 1945 . Jakarta is the capital city, located in the island of Java . Major languages are Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), Sundanese and Minangkabau ... read more . Are you kidding me.. Indonesia is weak at hockey. In southeast Asia, Malaysia is the best hockey team. I'm from Canada and I can tell you Canada is the best way better than this team. Indonesia is by far the best country in hockey

Question: In women's field hockey, which country has won the most World Cups?
Answer: Netherlands